University of Maryland's Center on Policy Attitudes
Director of the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland and Editor of the website World Public Opinion; co-author of Misreading the Public: The Myth of a New Isolationism
Tax Cuts and the National Debt Since the days of Ronald Reagan, it's been an article of Republican faith that cutting taxes liberates money for the business investments that create jobs and increase prosperity. This day, when income taxes are due, is a good time to ask if that's true. Raising taxes has been anathema in Washington for 30 years, but the national debt has raised fears across the political spectrum. A new study shows even Tea-Party Republicans might be willing to pay more.
Today's Taxes and Tomorrow's Financial Problems On tax day, nobody wants to talk about paying more but, despite the Republicans' 30-year line in the sand, that may be unavoidable, and it won't be just the richest Americans. The national debt is too big for them to do it alone. New polls surprisingly show that Democrats, Independents and Republicans are so worried about the national debt they might be willing to see an increase in taxes. Most important of all, they want everybody to pay a fair share.
The Presidential Campaign Goes Global Barack Obama's trip this week has been choreographed for the cameras: the meetings with kings and prime ministers; the helicopter over-flight with the commanding general; the prayer at the Western Wall; and, of course, yesterday's address to 200,000 people in the heart of Berlin. But could saturation coverage of Obama produce a backlash? Is it presumptuous for a rookie Senator to act like a head of state? John McCain says he'd like a big crowd in Germany, but not until he's President . But McCain has also campaigned in foreign countries, albeit with fewer cameras. Both candidates want to demonstrate they have what it takes to handle new global realities with strength and diplomacy. Has Obama gone overboard? Many voters care deeply about the rest of the world, but what the tradition of American exceptionalism?
Iraq Study Group Releases Report All ten members of the bipartisan panel say Iraq is sliding toward chaos, but that all is not lost. They recommend some dramatic changes, including moves President Bush has resisted, such as direct diplomacy with Iran. They want the primary mission of US forces to be training Iraqi troops, so that American combat soldiers can be withdrawn. They put a heavy burden on the Iraqis themselves to restore order and government services. Have they provided a "better way" to accomplish the President's goals or a formula for the "graceful exit" he's already rejected? We get details of the Iraq Study Group's recommendations and debate their merits.
Who's to blame for the opioid crisis? Some of the lawyers who took on Big Tobacco are now going after Big Pharma. It’s all about the deadly epidemic of opioid use. Are the drug companies to blame? What about the users? Later, on today’s Talking Point: making sense of Britain’s upset election.
Venezuela spirals into economic and political chaos Venezuela, a country whose potential for prosperity is unmatched, finds itself on the verge of civil war. What sustains the repressive government? With time running out, guest host León Krauze looks at what the international community can do to pull the country from the edge of collapse.
Replacing Obamacare: Now you see it… now you don’t As the Senate deliberates replacing Obmacare, health coverage for millions of people is at stake. There've been no public hearings, and a draft measure won't be made public. Is the House version so unpopular that that Senate is hiding a version that looks much the same?
Trump's new look at civil rights and global warming President Trump is reportedly ready to pull the US out of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. We look at the possible consequences. On the second half of the program, we hear about cuts in Obama-Era civil rights programs called for by the Trump Administration's first budget plan.